Interestingly, he oversaw the abortive evacuation of Yorktown. He was convinced that he could raft the British army across the James River under the noses of the French fleet and break through the French troops guarding Gloucester Point, making a forced march to New York possible. He got part of the army across before the weather intervened to prevent further movement.
It was Tarleton who was expected in Pyle’s Massacre, but it was Light Horse Harry Lee (Robt. E. Lee’s father) who came riding up in similar dragoon garb to Tarleton’s cavalry. The Loyalist column were recognized by Colonial militia by their red cloth strips/badge and were attacked.
This all happened 2 weeks before Guilford Courthouse’s decisive battle won by Nathaniel Greene.
Incidentally the real first confrontation that presaged the Revolution was the Battle of Alamance in the same area— where yeoman farmers, who did not want to pay high tariffs (on their whiskey and their crops) to finance Gov. Tryon’s palace built in New Bern, NC (still there). Taxes that went right into the brit’s pockets for his “home” and they were having none of it. They were gunned down and mostly hanged- but they got revenge on the crown’s agent Fanning. The Boston Tea and Stamp Act revolts were much later. NC is where the Revolution really began.